Microsoft Publishes Group Policy To Remove Copilot From Windows 11

Microsoft published a new Group Policy and Policy CSP named RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp that lets IT administrators uninstall the Microsoft Copilot app from managed Windows 11 devices, according to Cyber Security News, BleepingComputer, and gHacks. The setting became broadly available on April 14, 2026, as part of the April 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update (KB5083769 and later builds), and applies to Windows 11 25H2 devices managed via Microsoft Intune or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Tom's Hardware reports the policy first appeared in Windows Insider builds in January 2026 before this broader rollout. Microsoft's own documentation, cited by BleepingComputer, states: "The new RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp policy setting allows you to uninstall Copilot from devices in your organization in a non-disruptive way."

Per Cyber Security News, the policy is accessible via Group Policy Editor (User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows AI > Remove Microsoft Copilot App) or via Policy CSP at the OMA-URI path ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/WindowsAI/RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp, toggled with a simple 1/0 integer value. It applies to Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise SKUs. The removal only triggers when all three conditions hold simultaneously: Microsoft 365 Copilot is also installed on the device, the Copilot app was not manually installed by the end user, and it has not been launched in the last 28 days. It performs a one-time uninstall rather than a persistent block - users can reinstall from the Microsoft Store, and admins who want to prevent reinstallation need to pair the policy with AppLocker, Windows Defender Application Control, or an Intune uninstall profile.

Cyber Security News frames the release as part of a broader Microsoft "unbundling" of AI features from core Windows components following enterprise pushback on unsolicited AI integration. Separately, How-To Geek reports that Microsoft had already let unmanaged Windows 11 Home and Pro users self-uninstall Copilot via Settings > Apps > Installed apps in late March 2026; that self-service option is distinct from this new admin-only Group Policy, which applies specifically to company-managed devices where only IT administrators can access the setting.

Admins should verify their update baseline (KB5083769 or later, 25H2) before expecting the policy to appear, and should treat it as a precision cleanup tool for dormant installs rather than a way to remove Copilot from actively used devices - the 28-day-unused and not-user-installed conditions mean it will not touch endpoints where employees rely on the standalone app.

Whether Microsoft extends similar granular removal controls to other bundled AI features, telemetry on how many managed devices actually meet the policy's three conditions, and any updates to Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing guidance now that the free and paid Copilot experiences are being managed separately.